


Old Wounds

by Avatar_state_kate



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Detective Noir, Film Noir, Gangs, M/M, Major Character Injury, Triple Threat Triad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:07:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26088421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avatar_state_kate/pseuds/Avatar_state_kate
Summary: Mako is back on the beat. Everyone thinks it is too soon, that he needs more time to heal. When a new case brings back this from the past Mako would rather just forget about however he has no choice but to solve the case. Some wounds never heal, just scab over.
Relationships: Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 75





	1. Lady Caller

**-Chapter 1-**

**A Lady Caller**

It is dark when Mako wakes up. He should try to go back to sleep, but he knows he won't be able to. His arm is throbbing. From his wrist, it radiates halfway up his forearm, pulsing with his heartbeat – he doesn't feel anything in his fingers. The clock from the second-hand shop reads 4:30, it was missing a foot, but Mako didn't see the point in replacing it, it kept time just fine, determinedly ticking forward.

Mako got out of bed, careful to hold his arm still. Entering the kitchen, he pulled out a bottle of sake and poured himself an inch. The pain medication Asami had gotten for him was expensive and had run out. He wasn't going to ask her to renew it, he didn't know how to. He finished the measure in one quick gulp.

Setting the glass down on the counter, Mako could hear Bolin snoring in the next room over. They had moved back in together after things had stabilized. After he had been released from the temporary hospital on Air Temple Island. Before that, Bolin had lived on the island, or he seemed to have, that month was pretty hazy. He doesn't ever remember Bolin not being somewhere nearby, though.

Bolin still spent most of his time on Air Temple Island, helping the Air Nomads with reconstruction, spending time with Opal. There wasn't really any reason for Bolin to be staying in the city really, except for Mako's own sake.

Heading into the bathroom, Mako switched on the overhead light, slowly turning on with a hum. How Bolin was able to find a place with power was anyone's guess the spirit energy surges from the colossus had blown out the grid citywide. Asami probably had something to do with it. Their old apartment hadn't been on the grid - back then, some of the boroughs still weren't on the grid. They hadn't needed it though, they just needed a generator, Mako could power it.

Slowly Mako lifts his sling from the knot at the back up over his head, using it to gently lower his arm to the counter. Resting his wrist on the counter, Mako began to unravel the bandage, starting above his elbow. He needed to moisturize and wrap it daily to keep the skin from becoming too dry - it was supposed to help with scaring. Peeling back the bandages revealed mottled skin, red leathery borders surrounding bleach white skin, the occasional splotch black and hard. It was better that Mako did this while Bolin was still asleep.

It was slow work one-handed, but practice had helped Mako make meticulous work of it. First, he cleaned the skin before applying a thick layer of lotion, then placed cotton pads between his fingers to keep them rubbing together inside the bandage. He'd already gotten blisters from the dressing chafing at his elbow from wrapping the bandage too low.

After tightly wrapping fresh gauze from his hand up over his elbow Mako packed everything back into the medicine cabinet and went to start a pot of coffee. He is halfway through his third cup when he hears a tinny alarm from Bolin's room, and with a lot of yawning and shuffling noises, Bolin soon emerges from his room.

Bolin startles to see Mako sitting at the kitchen table. "No way, I definitely thought I'd beat you up today!" Bolin grabbed a cup out of the cupboard, setting it down on the counter he went to pick up the kettle, shaking it at finding it empty.

"You snooze you lose," Mako quipped, finishing off the last of the coffee, Bolin pouting with the empty kettle hanging uselessly. His eyes narrow at Mako's bandaged arm.

"Let me guess, you already did it." Bolin didn't need to specify what it was. "You should wait for me to wake up, then I can help you!"

"It's fine, Bo- I can manage."

"I know you can, doesn't mean you have to." Mako doesn't reply. After a brief pause, Bolin sighs but seemingly decides to let it go, quickly jumping into a new conversation. "So, big night tonight, yeah! Varrick and Zhu-Li, finding love in the face of mortal danger, now building a new life in a new world!"

"Yeah, sure, a real love story for the ages." Mako rolled his eyes; he would never understand Bolin's idolization of the man. Still, as a peace treaty, he had decided to stop trying to. Varrick was fine...he guessed.

"Come on, Mako. After everything that they've been through, we've been through, isn't it nice to get a happy ending?"

A happy ending. He supposed for most people it was, Air Temple Island was pretty empty when he'd left, back to just being the Air Nomads. Everyone else had already been healed.

"I'm more excited to get back to the station, back on the beat."

"Oh yeah, of course, you'd be more excited to go to work." Bolin pulled his arm back to give a playful punch but stopped himself short. "Are you- well, I mentioned to Opal that you were going back, actually, and she thought that, maybe it was a little soon."

Mako set his coffee cup down non-to-gently. "I'm ready to go back."

"I know you are!" Bolin exclaimed, put the hands he had raised in a gesture of appeasement were soon fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "Just your arm might not be," he mumbled.

"I am ready to go back Bo."

Bolin's eyes dart around the tiny kitchen, anywhere but Mako's sling. "Have- have you been able to bend with it at all?"

Mako stood up from his seat, chair scraping loudly across the floor. "I'm going to get a paper." Grabbing his coat from one of the nails stuck into the wall by the door, Mako left.

***

Air Temple Island had been dressed to the nines for the wedding. Silver drapes, tables cloths, and chairs had been brought in, all reflecting the hundreds of blue lights that had been hung around the courtyard. The whole thing reminded Mako of the Southern Water Tribe Spirit festival, hard to believe that had only been four years ago, so much had changed.

The ceremony had been...nice, he should tell Bolin he had done a good job, they hadn't spoken since Mako left to get his paper. He had ended up reading it in the park, and by the time he had got back, Bolin had gone.

With a sigh, Mako finished his drink and set his empty glass on a table before stepping out to the gardens where the lights ended and pulling out a pack of cigarettes.

Holding the pack in his good hand, Mako pushed the cardboard flap off with his thumb, then slowly thumbed at a dart in the front row until it stuck out of the pack halfway.

"Nearly two years together, and you would think I would have noticed you were a smoker." It was Wu, the lights from the reception shined on behind him, enshrining him in a blue halo of light.

Mako brought the pack up to his lips, using them to pull the smoke from the deck "Only on special occasions."

Wu raised an eyebrow at that "well, I'll try not to be offended then that working for the crown prince of the Earth Kingdom didn't warrant a special occasion in your books."

"Former crown prince." Mako reminded him, speaking around the dart in his teeth as he moved to slip the deck back into his inner coat pocket.

Wu stopped him short and pulled out a smoke, "Yeah, former." Mako shook his head, conjuring a small flame on his first two fingers with a snap. It was a little fancier than necessary, Mako would admit, bringing the flaming digits to meet the cigarette's end and inhaling deeply to light it.

Wu waved his own cigarette expectantly. He leaned forward to meet Mako's flame. After the first pull, Wu plucked the smoke from between his lips, holding it casually in his fingers as he took up his usual gesturing. "I hear you're going back to work soon, eh - back on the beat, busting triads, bagging crooks, showing them the good ol' Mako style."

"Yeah, tomorrow."

Wu raised his brows at that, the quickest flick of his eyes to Mako's arm. He recollected himself quickly. "Well, those gangsters and thugs better watch out, they won't know what hit 'em."

"Sure." Mako laughed, taking a pull from his smoke, Wu rubbed his thumb over the end of his smoke, the lit end smoldering lowly.

"Did that Police Chief of yours ever tell you that when I came to Republic City, I asked for you, specifically." Wu tapped out some imaginary ash, he hasn't taken another pull, and the fire had nearly choked out.

"What, why?"

"She really didn't! I guess she didn't want it all going to your head-"

"Why- how would you know who I was."

"Mako, so modest, you were all over those rags. Former pro-bending star turned ace detective, makes a great story." Mako took another drag, hiding a sheepish grin behind his cigarette.

"Anyway, I guess I was a little starstruck." Wu laughed, his gaze moving to meet Mako's.

Mako broke the look first, turning to look out over the bay, "You're leaving tomorrow, for Ba Sing Se."

"Well, actually I was thinking of missing my train. I can always catch one Monday - spend one last weekend in the Big City." Wu switched his smoke from his right to his left hand, grabbing Mako's good arm at the elbow. "We should paint go out, paint the town, for old times sake."

"I'll probably be working, you know, back on the beat." Wu dropped his arm.

"Ah, well, I guess you weren't always in those rags for nothing. If you ever do crawl out from under your desk, you should call me. I'm staying at the Four Elements, you know the room." Wu flicked his cigarette to his feet, stamping it out before returning to the party. He hadn't smoked it at all. Mako finished his smoke with one long drag before doing the same.

***

Despite not getting in until 2, Mako still rises before the sun. He skips the sake; he had enough the night before and brings the medical kit into the kitchen. The lighting is better, and Bolin had stayed the night on Air Temple Island. He had tried to convince Mako to stay too.

With his arm freshly bandaged, Mako decides to walk to the station early. He wants to grab a paper on the way, and newsies have become hard to come by. He doesn't remember the city ever being so quiet. Even at the most Agni-forsaken hour, you could hear a Sato-mobiles tire's screeching, find some birds huddled under a street lamp swapping smokes and stories; now even the Spirits were keeping to themselves.

Mako kicks a rock that had once been a brick across the deserted street. Even on the outskirts of the city, you could find debris from Kuvira's attack - even three months later.

The station had been totaled on the day of the colossus. A temporary station had been set up on the West end in Little Caldera, or 'The Prye,' Agni Kai territory. They were in one of the Dragon Flats buildings; he supposed all those who had lived in the public housing were still at the refugee camp.

“I didn’t believe chief when she said you were back.” Mako hadn't even sat down before Song had let himself into the little office space. Given the nature of the building, the arrangement was strange, with desks scattered about the apartments on the second floor. Bars metal bent to create cells out of the flats on the first. “Way the papers described it, it sounded like you’d blown your arm right off!”

“It’s still here.” Mako lifted the arm in question, which he immediately regretted, the new skin was sensitive. He didn’t let his discomfort show.

“Well, there’s some broad out here saying she needs to talk to you – you’ve been holding out on us Mako, dames a real looker.” Song smirks.

Mako rolled his eyes, draping his coat over the back of his chair. “You can let her know I’m in.”

Nodding Song left to retrieve this mystery visitor.

Song wasn't lying, the women who came through the door had a water tribe complexion; dark brown skin, dark brown eyes, and dark brown hair. Her hair was done up in two buns low on her head, peeking out from behind either ear, each connected to two hair loops which framed her face adorned with jade beads. She had a firm build, sturdy, and an earth kingdom face, round like a smooth stone with apple cheeks. She was dressed smart but cheap, with simple charcoal trousers and a tucked-in white tunic. She did have a silk jacket draped over one shoulder that would have cost a pretty penny, however, deep blue with gold embroidery.

She had grown up a lot, but despite looking older, she looked very near the same.

It was Kitty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It had to be done and now its begun - the noir Mako fic this fandom deserves.  
> Please let me know what you think!  
> Until the next update


	2. Old Friends

**-Chapter 2-**

**Old Friends**

Kitty wasn’t her real name. The Triple Threats were quick to give nicknames and stuck to them once they did. Kitty was so called because she had kept herself neat, for a street kid, filing her nails, picking her teeth – “ _grooms herself like a cat that one, always fixing herself_.”

She probably hadn’t known his name back then either. Scarfie wasn’t the worst, but Mako wouldn’t have picked it.

Kitty took her time entering the room, taking in the peeling paint and the stuck-up window. “So this is what they givin’ Republic City’s best and finest?” She quipped, lifting a book on Republic City bylaws from his desk to examine with disinterest.

Kitty began to bordly flip through some pages before snapping the book shut. “What do you want, Kitty?”

Kitty dropped the text back onto Mako’s desk with a thump, “What no hi, how are ya? That’s no way to greet an old friend?” Kitty rested her hands on her hips, pushing back the sides of her jacket. Mako could see two silver water canteens on her sides, which he was sure had been the point of the gesture.

They were never friends. He had just started learning some forms from Zolt when they’d met. Zolt had him going on disposal runs, “ _to pay for the lessons.”_ The Threats dealt jobs out to groups of three – fire, water, and earth. Kitty was Vipers pet project, and Slim-Jin was Mushi’s nephew. Two-toed Ping had joked that they were the junior’s division.

“Hi Kitty, how are you,” Mako replied flatly, gesturing with his left hand for her to take a seat. 

“I’m not so bad,” she replied, gracefully falling into the proffered seat, it wobbled unsteadily. Either one of the legs was short or the floorboards were warped. “See, was that so hard?”

Mako pinched the bridge of his nose, he really wasn’t in the mood to play cat and mouse, maybe he shouldn’t have skipped the sake that morning. “Now, why are you here?”

“Can’t it be just to catch up- everyone saw about your arm in the papers, maybe it worried me.” Kitty rested a hand over her heart. Mako gave her a hard look and held it until Kitty cracked under it, waving her hand off her chest. “But I guess they didn’t promote you to gumshoe for nothin’ I came here to book an appointment.”

“An….appointment?”

“Yeah, a scheduled meeting.”

“I know what- can’t you just tell me what you want to tell me now.” Getting information from Kitty on jobs had always been like pulling teeth.

“No, I can’t. I’m already riskin’ too much comin’ here in person- don’t need no one seeing me at the clubhouse, accusin’ me of calling copper!”

Mako raised a brow, “but, you are calling copper.”

Kitty rolled her tongue over her teeth nervously, she used to do chew back then, waterbend her spit into strange flows to show off; maybe she still did. “Perhaps. I’ll tell you more about it later- at lunch.”

Mako was intrigued; it had been so long since he had been on a case, and anything that could inspire Kitty to call copper had to be a good one. He was strictly on desk duty. Chief Beifong wasn’t going to go against Kya because an acquaintance he used to run numbers and dump bodies with as a kid wanted to have lunch with him. “I can see about sending some-“

“No.” Kitty cut him off sharply, “I’m only talken’ to you.”

Mako sighed, resting his good and on the table. “Can’t you give me anything else?”

“Come on, Scarfie, I know you,” Kitty set her hand on top of his, “and you know me- ain’t that enough?” Mako pulled his hand away.

Kitty put her hand back on her lap with a frown. “Well, there is a card in that old book, if you change your mind.”

Kitty gathered herself, standing from her chair and making it to the door in two steps. Handle in hand, she turned to look over her shoulder, giving Mako a once over “You look good, even with only one arm.”

And with a click of the door, she was gone.

***

Mako found himself thumbing the card Kitty had left him that morning again. The corner was already worn soft by his constant picking. He hadn’t thought about her in years, not since the last time he’d seen her – which should be reason enough not to even consider going to meet her. Mako read the card again, it was a business card for Tui La La, a bar in the Eastern Water Tribe.

Most of the jobs they’d worked had brought them to the Eastern Water Tribe. Shady Shin would drive them to the fishing docks out there. Before the docks, waterbenders would make fishing docks out of ice, but after one too many drownings from the ice breaking the council provided funding to build proper wooden ones. They were low to the water and poorly lit which made them perfect for dumping bodies. Shin would sit in the driver’s seat smoking while they unloaded, and leaving Mako, Kitty, Slim-Jin, and the stiffs as soon as they were out of the car. “ _No use in us all getting caught_ ” Slim would stand watch on land, where he was useful. Kitty would bend the water to drag the bodies from the dock and quietly sink them at the bottom of the Bay. Before that, the identifying features, their fingerprints, and face has to be taken care of; his scarf never did do anything to block out the smell.

The whole thing smelled of a trap, a known triad member arranging a meeting with him alone, someone he would supposedly trust being the one to lure him no less. It was so evident that it couldn't be. So, the question was what had spooked her bad enough to go to the cops, to go to him. 

"Knock, knock!" Mako stashed the card into his top desk drawer as Bolin opened the door. "Hey, did we ever collect in one of these flats? They seem sooo familiar." 

"Its public housing Bo, they all use the same plans." Running numbers, you go through a lot of public housing buildings to collect bets.

Bolin wandered his office, looking for some sign that he had, in fact, been there before. "I mean, I guess, but are you sure?" Bolin opened the closet door, the hinges whining loudly. 

"This is Agni-Kai territory, so I'm sure." The Triple Threats territory was primarily in the overlap between Little Caldera and Old Cranefish town, not in the heart. This was all 6 blocks deep from Yue Bay, where High Street, the pro-bending arena, and City Hall had been. Slim used to call it Yuan Bay, it was never funny. 

"Did you come here just to poke around?" Mako shuffled some files on his desk, they were hardly legible, he should have practiced writing lefthanded more while he was off. 

Bolin closed the closet door; it took a bit of jigging to get it back into place. "No, I came here to take you out for lunch." 

"I'm working."

"Which is why I came to bother you on your lunch _break_ ," Bolin answered smartly, pulling Mako's coat out from the back of his chair. "Even you have to eat, so let's go." 

They walked down 13th street; usually, this time of year, all of the storefronts and windows were filled with candles. It was monsoon season in the Fire Nation, and it was tradition to keep a candle burning in the window so your family could find their way home. There were a couple of flickers of light here and there, but mostly the windows were just dark or shattered, as Mako and Bolin searched for something open. They had never been picky anyway. 

Sometimes, if the Threats got a really big shipment of Poppy in they would let some of the older kids sell a couple of bindles for extra cash. Kitty made it into a bit of a game, all of the good corners were already covered in Triple Threat territory, so they would see how far into the pyre they could sell an ounce without getting caught by an Agni Kai. It was a stupid game, playing with fire. 

Mako knew he was being irritable with Bolin, he wanted to blame it on his arm hurting, but that wasn't all of it. He was used to pain. Extending an olive branch, Mako started the conversation. "Did you see Varrick and Zhu-Li off then?" 

Bolin immediately perked up "Yeah, and Korra and Asami! I don't know why they would choose the Fire Nation this time of year, the weather is going to be terrible." 

"What do you mean, Korra and Asami?" Mako scratched at his bandage, trying to keep most of the scratching just above it- he'd already been yelled at by Kya about 'disturbing his wound.' 

"Oh, yeah, they decided to go to the Spirit world together last night." Bolin shrugged, pulling hopefully on the door of Yon-Rha's Dumplings.

"Just like that?" The door didn't budge. 

"Well, why not, they deserve a break." Everyone else had been trying to put the city back together for months already, and Mako hadn't even started. 

"Did they say when they would be back?"

"I don't think they've planned that far ahead." Bolin peaked into the window of Koko for Komodo, Mako could tell from the sidewalk that they were closed, the window was dark. "Yeah, now that everything is settling down a bit Opal is thinking of going to visit her mom, we should both go, you haven't been to Zaofu since Aiwei tried to blow us all up." 

Mako looked up as an old Fire Nation woman opened her window to shake out a rug, normally he would never notice something like that, with everything else going on. It felt like he was the only person who wanted to be in Republic City at all. "I have to work."

Bolin frowned, before looking down at Mako's fevered hand. "You're scratching again." 

Mako moved his hand into his pocket, "Didn't notice." 

"That reminds me, Kya wants you to go by the Island tomorrow, and to tell you that if Chief Beifong gives you any _sass_ for needing a long lunch that she'll have to answer to her." Kya had been his healer since he was brought to Air Temple Island, once he was conscious for more than 5 minutes at a time, she told him all about the state of his arm. “ _The nerves were fused into the bone; they had been completely melted. I mean it had gotten so hot the bone had fractured! I’ve never even heard of anything like that.”_

They end up buying two cups of Flameo Instant Noodles and a canteen of water from a bodega, Mako can just boil them in his hand. "Just like old times!" Bolin grins, the pair sitting together on the stoop of Dragon Disc Records and Phonographs. The front window was boarded up, some of the citizens had been paranoid about looting. 

Bolin slurps his noodles happily. Mako has to be more careful, trying to keep his cup balanced on his knee and leaning against his sling. Bolin pauses to watch, "We should find a table." 

Mako slowly pulls out a string of noodles with his chopsticks, he's still not very good at maneuvering them with his left hand. "Ember park is 7 blocks away, this is fine." 

Bolin mutters something into his cup as he continues to stuff his face. Mako gives up on his chopsticks, picking up his cup, and drinking from the side. 

"Your scratching again." Mako looks down to see he has been rubbing his sling against his side. "If your arm is bothering you, you should take some of that medicine Asami got you." 

Mako shakes his cup to lift the noodles stuck to the bottom of the container. "I don't have it." 

"If you forgot it at the apartment, I can get it for you! Yeah, we can go back to the station, and I'll-" Bolin had already started getting up when Mako grabbed him by the arm to stop him. 

"No, Bolin, I, it's out." Mako caught his hand moving to itch again, so instead began picking at the lip of his now empty cup of noodles. 

"…out? Did you finish it this morning, why didn't you ask Asami before when it was getting low?" Bolin groaned, picking at his lip thoughtfully. "Well, we can't ask Asami now… I know, I can ask Opal, I'm sure she'll let us borrow some money for it."

"No." Mako set the frayed cup down. "We're not asking Opal."

"Why not, she would want to help."

"Because- Bo, it's not even that bad anymore, I don't need it." Bolin scoffed disbelievingly. "Bolin trust me my arms-"

"I know I know, your arms fine, you're fine. Everything is just fine." Bolin slouched into the stoop with a pout, crossing his arms. 

Mako ran his hand through his hair, giving a long sigh, "yeah." 

The silence stretched awkwardly between the brothers. A raccoon dog ran across the street, they weren't strictly nocturnal. Still, usually, the commotion of the streets kept them away, Mako could count how many people had passed them by one his hand. They both followed the raccoon dog with their eyes, watching it climb up and into a garbage can. Poor thing must be starving, city garbage wasn't what it used to be. 

"First day back at work, something exciting must have happened." Bolin didn't put his full enthusiasm behind it, but Mako was willing to take this peace offering. 

"Hardly, I'm on desk duty until Kya gives the okay." That could be tomorrow, Mako noticed he was scratching again. 

"Well that's good." Mako's eyes shot up to meet Bolin's "I mean, you're working again, a-and I'm sure they've been too busy to keep up with the paperwork, so you're really helping out."

Yeah, at least he was working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, chapter 2 already. I am shocked. Take a shot every time Mako says he needs to work lol.  
> The chapter count currently is an estimate (I only got through half what I had originally outlined for chapter 2 so it may be going up) 
> 
> I originally was going to include flashbacks but opted instead to allude to the past in the internal monologue instead since the narrative style is more in line with noir aesthetics. That being said I did write a flashback for the body dump during my brainstorming. So, if anyone is interested I can polish it up and post it. 
> 
> Please let me know what you all think!


	3. Out on the Docks

**-Chapter 3-**

**Out on the Docks**

It makes more sense for the brothers to go their separate ways after lunch, even though Bolin insists he wants to walk Mako back to the station. Bolin is helping with construction in the cities west end. Well, demolition at this point as what is left of 2nd street needs to be completely leveled. So Mako heads back East alone.

Mako heads south down Ember Lane. The cabs stick pretty close to the shore nowadays, where some construction has finished, and people are working. He probably won't see any until 7th; still, it'll be a lot faster than walking from the Pyre to the Eastern Water Tribe. If he was back at work, he might as well do something useful, hear Kitty out. No one at the station will even notice he's gone.

He doesn't end up finding a car until 4th street. The cabbie refuses to take him any further east then Hakoda Memorial Drive; the last three blocks aren't worth losing a hubcap on what is left of the torn-up concrete. The damage is much worse here than on the west-end, with more piles of bricks and support beams then buildings. 

Despite the damage, everything that was still standing was occupied. Mako could smell Water Tribe cooking coming from the windows, hear Water Tribe stories - it was the winter solstice not too long ago, people would still be celebrating the Spirits festival. The borough had not been reopened by the city, but if there was a home to go back to, Reiko wouldn't keep anyone Water Tribe away from it.

Mako held his jacket closed tight over his uniform as he walked the last couple blocks to Tui La La. He didn't need anyone thinking the police were here to start kicking out squatters. There is a neon sign in the window that isn't lit. There is a cardboard sign with the characters for open propped up in the window underneath it, the east end still didn't have power.

Kitty is sitting at the bar, half-empty pint glass in front of her. Her jacket is hanging on the back of her barstool, her canteens gleaming on her hip. The bar is dark, the sun sifting between the curtains providing more light than the few candles burning between the bottles on the liquor shelf. There is also the glow from the battery-powered radio sitting on a crate behind the bar, humming quietly _-giving you that hot fire nation sound_. 

Kitty has one of her feet resting on the end of her seat, using her knee to prop up her hand as she idly filed her nails. She looks up at the sound of the door chime. "Look who finally made it- almost drank the place dry," she grins.

She sets her leg down, waving at the bartender sitting behind the bar with a paper to fetch another round. He folds his paper with a sigh and tosses it onto the counter, grabbing two glasses from the shelf behind him. "I'm okay."

"Oh, none of that," she waves at Mako, slipping her nail file into an inside pocket of her jacket, "and two sakes while you're at it!" The bartender grumbles as he finishes off the pints of beer and grabs two shot glasses. "The good stuff if you'll please."

Once the four glasses have been set, Kitty nods her head towards the door to the backroom. Collecting his paper, the bartender leaves them alone.

"You really ditched the scarf then, eh?" Kitty shakes her head, taking her half-finished pint into her hand. "I don't believe it, after all the hands I've seen you burn for touchin' the thing." She raises her glass and takes a long drink. 

Mako pulls at the collar of his jacket, "I'm not scarfie anymore." 

"Guess not, _M-a-k-o."_ Kitty stretches out his name, leaning back into her seat. "Mako, I would have never guessed that. I don't know if you look like a Mako." 

Mako rolled his eyes, "and what does a Mako look like." 

Kitty just shrugged before finishing the last swig of her first beer. Setting her glass down, she pushes Mako's own towards him. "That arm must be killin' you, go on it'll take the edge off."

Mako has to check that he isn't still scratching it. "It's not as bad as it looks." He takes a swig from his glass.

"Yeah, not as bad as it looks for now 'til its worse than it looks."

Mako raises a brow at her. "Is that supposed to be some sort of saying or something?"

Kitty chuckles, taking her fresh glass, "It's a bit of wisdom, that arm ain't never gone be like it was. It'll look all healed sure, but wounds like that …." Kitty took a sip and set her glass down loudly on the bar top. "Remember when I got iced by those Monsoons?" Mako remembered. They had been standing watch, Shin hadn't bothered telling them what for. Kitty had taken a hit to the knee. The ice shard had hit her left leg on the outside, the thing had bleed like a civ. "Yeah, knee still hurts like a son-of-a; wounds like that, they don't heal. So, drink up!"

"Did you just ask me over here to reminisce? I thought you had something to tell me."

"I'm getting there, but you still have your drinks!" Kitty gestured towards the glasses.

Mako takes his sake glass into his good hand, with it hovering over his pint glass, he glances at Kitty before dropping it into his beer. He finishes the drink in one draft and puts the empty glass down decisively, the shot glass rattles inside it.

"Alright, alright, I'll get to the point, no need to be a jerk about it." Her arms resting on the bartop, Kitty begins to fiddle with the little blue cocktail napkin the bartender had set her drink on. "Now, don't judge me too harshly here, but I kinda owe the Threats some money. Or a lot of money."

They'd collected debts for the Triple Threats, she should know better than anyone not to get mixed up in that. "Kitty-"

"I know, I know, okay, don't get high on your own supply and all that, but- you 'member my sista, Xin?" Mako had seen her a couple times; she had a couple years on them. "Yeah, well, she really knows how to pick a fella." Kitty began shredding her cocktail napkin into tiny pieces. "Well, this bird she was shackin' up with, Chu, well, he busted her up real good 'bout five years ago. She was layed up in Katara Community Hospital for over a month." Kitty had run out of napkin, so she had started picking at the skin around her right thumb's nail. "She couldn’t pay those bills, and there was still the rent, and she’s got her kid, not Chu's thank the Spirits but, well the dads no good either, but-" Kitty lets out a long sigh grabbing her pint glass. "I know it’s a mess but she's my sista. You have to do what you have to do, ya know?" Kitty took a long swig from her beer.

Mako caught himself scratching his bandage again and stopped. "Yeah."

"Anyways," Kitty smacked her lips as she set her glass down. "I was workin' it off but, these last coupla years, with the Equalist, giant Spirit monsters, that robot tearing up the city…" Kitty shook her head, "Zolt can't bend, Vipers gone-“

"Wait, Vipers dead? Then who's leading the Triple Threats?" Mako interrupts. 

"No one, the Threats are runnin' around without a head, but you can't go on livin' without a head for long." Kitty leans back into her seat with a smirk. "This could be the end."

Mako furrows his brow, "You want to take out the entire triad?"

"We don't need to take 'em all out." Kitty leans towards Mako, voice dropping to a conspirational whisper. "Just the inner circle, so no one fills the top spot. Everyone else will move on after that."

Mako pursed his lips, "I don't know, Kitty, move on to where? Agni Kai's, Red Monsoons, Terra Triad, they won't take anyone that's mixed, bender or otherwise."

Kitty waves her hand dismissively, "So they start making their own triads or move on to other crimes, we ain't talkin' 'bout ending crime here. The point is there won't be no Triple Threats, all those connections, all those records, all those _debts,_ they'll be gone." 

Mako sat back thoughtfully. Kitty had a point. This would be a good opportunity to take out the Triple Threats. Even though Mako had no doubt they would regroup, it would take some time for that to happen. "So, who's the inner circle then?" 

Kitty leans back in her chair, pleased. "Well, you know how it is, Earth, Fire, Water, Viper was water, so that's taken care of. For Earth, you got Sandman, pretty hardy guy. He's going to the docks tonight to pick up a shipment." 

Mako had taken his notebook out to write down what Kitty was telling him, adding in his own notes as well. _Get the schedule for coast guards when are the shift changes_. 

"For fire, you got Two Touch, she's missin' two fingers. The ones for lightenin' bendin', guess how that happened," Kitty smirked. "I don't know where she'll be next, but I'll keep an ear to the ground." 

Mako looked up from his notebook. "What about Shady Shin and Two-Toed Ping?" 

"Ah, they're too smart to go for management." Kitty shrugged, pulling a deck of cigarettes from a pocket in her jacket. 

"And what about you. When this is done, what will you do." 

"Leave this place, there ain't anything left here for me," Kitty answered as she started the last swig of her beer. "Mmm-" Kitty began to speak mid-sip, pointing towards the radio. "This song, Ping had this record, yeah?"

_So darling, won't you please surrender to me._ The radio crones, as back-up singers, come in to harmonize. Mako rolls his eyes, "You say that when you hear any fire nation music." 

"Well its 'cause it's all the same. Fire, desire. Burning and yearning. Giving yourself over completely to it all." Kitty laughs. "If love is surrender well, all us trouble boys are a lost cause. Livin' too hard for all that." Kitty tosses her sake back, placing it back loudly on the bartop. "You've been out for 'bout 7 years now, you any softer for it?" She rises from her seat and shrugs on her jacket; it is a nice jacket. "I didn't think so," she laughs, clapping his right shoulder, "you got this right?" She is already heading towards the door.

She turns the handle, stopping in the open doorway to sing over her shoulder, " _Please surrender, tooooo-night_! Yeah, he definitely had this one." With that, she closes the door leaving Mako with the bill. She hadn't been lying about nearly drinking the place dry. 

***

Nobody says anything about Mako's long lunch when he gets back to the station nearly three hours after leaving it. Mako pulls everything he can find on Sandman, Two Touch, the Triple Threats, anything that could potentially turn up something. A lot of the department's files were destroyed with the old station, there isn't much.

Mako still manages to keep busy until 8 o'clock, reading and re-reading what little there was. It isn't anything; all he has to go on is Kitty's word. Bolin had called the station around 6 looking for him, Mako had told him not to wait up.

***

It's cold out on the docks. The frigid winter air coming off of the water cuts right through Mako's jacket. It doesn't' help that his empty right sleeve functions as a giant hole, letting the cold wind right in. With a deep breath, Mako uses breath of fire to ward off the winter chill. He should have told someone down at the station he was coming down here; of course, then Mako wouldn't be here.

He is perched on a crane, sitting with his feet dangling and resting his head on the railing. The plan was to record the ship's hull number and phone in an anonymous tip to the station.

The steam-powered ship cuts through the glassy surface of the bay as it glides towards the port. Mako rises and heads down the stairs; the boat is still too far away to spot him up there. He waits in the shadow of a Varrick Industries freight ship as the crew docks the vessel. They only bother to unload three medium-sized boxes, leaving the rest of the haul on the ship under a tarp. Small haul for all of the trouble, apparently even Poppy was having difficulty getting into the city these days.

Mako records the hull number into his notebook when two of the thugs stop at the foot of the gangway. Laughing loudly, the taller of the two reaches into an inside pocket and pulls out a deep red cigarette box. "Lefty's got the car waitin' on the corner of Kyoshi an' Main." 

The shorter accepts the smoke offered, shaking his head. "Aw, she's got Lefty pickin' us up, he's always late!"

The taller laughs, bending a small flame to light the smokes. "You can always walk, probably beat us there." The pair laugh heartily as they start in on their smokes. A plate number would lead to registration, which would connect a name to the scene, assuming the document still existed and wasn't buried under a pile of rubble.

Keeping to the shadows, Mako crept down the docks back towards land. The car is waiting where they said it would be, a midnight blue Satomobile roadster. The boxes are already stashed in the trunk, and the three gang members who lugged them over, two dames and a bird, are loafing around outside of the car, waiting for the two smokers to catch up. Lefty is still sitting in the driver's seat with the car running. "Hey, Sandy, I don't think we should be hangin' 'bout here."

"Look around Lefty," the man who must be Sandman exclaims, gesturing at the empty docks and the empty city beyond, "place is a ghost town now."

" 'Xactly, so anyone you do see is suspicious now." Lefty lowers the visor in the car, pulling out a deck of cigarettes. He pulls out a dart with shaky hands and has to fumble a couple times with his lighter before he can get it burning.

One of the girls walks to the driver's side window, taking Lefty's burning smoke for herself. "Have some compassion, Sandy, ol'Lefty here must be real scared if he's actually showin' up on time." The girls' cackle.

"Shut up, Red!" Lefty countered. They just laugh harder.

Ducked behind some empty crates for cover, Mako records the plate number, make and model

of the car, and profiles of all of the Triple Threats.

Unknown male, firebender, 5'11, fair, long black hair worn in top-knot.

Unknown male, bending status unknown, 5'8, tan, shaved head.

Sandy (Sandman), earthbender, male, 5'9, tan, cropped black hair, clean-shaven.

Lefty, bending status unknown, male, brown, dark brown hair worn in a bun, beard

Red (Red Hot? Name appeared in Ostrich-horse match-fixing case 473), bending status unknown (potentially firebender), female, 5'2, fair, black hair worn in a phoenix tail.

Unknown female, bending status unknown, 5'7, brown, black hair worn in braids.

Red continues razzing Lefty, Sandman and the girl with the braid’s laughter echoing in the empty streets. "Keep it down! You should know better than to be carrying on like that!"

Red begins a retort when the group falls silent. They could hear a car engine approaching from Yang Chen boulevard. The only people driving within the city anymore were cops.

Lefty is off before the police cruiser has even rounded the corner, leaving everyone else in his dust. "Fuckin' scorpion-snake!" Red curses before her friend with the braids drags her off towards the docks to escape into the bay - she's a waterbender then.

Sandman is left looking for cover until his gaze lands on Mako's crates, and he is, unknowingly, running right to him. Coming around behind the boxes, Sandman stops when he finds that he is not alone. He takes up an earthbending stance and bends a rock with a quick left jab. Mako moves to block it, throwing u his right arm to stop it with a counter strike. He feels the strap of his sling jerk his head forward as it contains his arm mid-motion. He's hit in the gut and goes down, hard. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took so long, too many real-life interruptions but I do hope to finish this fic before school ramps up so chapter 4 shouldn't be too far off (but don't hold me to that lol) 
> 
> The songs I was thinking of were Surrender by Elvis and Love is Surrender by the Carpenters. The lyrical snippets come from the Elvis song
> 
> As always comments and kudos are appreciated, until chapter 4 :)


	4. Private Line

-Chapter 4-

Private Line

The rock had hit him in the gut, but it's his arm that hurt the most.

Groaning, Mako sits up. Sandman's retreating footsteps becoming quieter. The patrol car comes to a screeching halt where Lefty had previously been parked. A uniformed officer, stocky with her hair in a tight bun, hopped out. "Stop, police!"

But they are all already long gone. It is just Mako left.

The officer groans, resting her hands on her hips, her reels of metal cord clanking against her wrist guards. She starts when she notices Mako. "Sir, are you-" she stops in her tracks before quickening her pace, "Mako? What are you doing out here?"

Mako is up before Chen can help; she was a little young for an officer, a new hire post colossus. "I was just out for a walk."

"Out for a walk," Chen stops in front of him, arms crossed. "All the way out here?"

"I- uh, live out here now."

Chen sighs, disbelieving, "I'm not going to tell the Chief I caught you out here, but you should be taking it easy. Lin gave you desk duty for a reason."

Discreetly, Mako rubs his sore ribs, "Don't worry, you won't catch me out here again."

"So…what were you really doing out here?"

They move to Chen's patrol car to get out of the cold. It looked like she had been living out of it rather than working from it. The vehicle's cab was littered with wrappers, cigarette butts, and newspapers. A stack of coffee-stained paper cups was in the passenger cup holder, a stone-cold coffee in the driver's side holder. There was even an extra uniform shirt hanging off of the back of the driver's seat. "Sorry..." Chen mutters sheepishly, brushing a collection of greasy brown bags off of the passenger seat and onto the floor to join the rest of the mess.

She doesn't wait for Mako to get in before she starts the car and cranks up the heat, warming her hands by the vent. The windows are fogged over by the time Mako's done recounting the night's events."This is good, real good." Chen nods, thumbing through Mako's notebook. She pulls down the visor, letting a pack of smokes fall into her lap; Chen offers it to Mako first. "So, who was the tip from?"

"Anonymous." Mako pulls out a smoke; it would be rude to decline.

"Hmm, any guesses?" Chen pulls out her own cigarette with her teeth before reaching over into the glovebox for a matchbook and her own notebook. Mako declines the matchbook and instead bends a small flame, starting the cigarette with a long pull.

"None."

"Could be one of the other Triads," Chen suggests with a long puff of smoke," an Agni Kai or Terra member trying to cut out the competition." She holds the cigarette in her mouth as she pulls a pencil from her notebook's spiral and begins transcribing Mako's own notes.

"Yeah, maybe." Mako rolls down the passenger window, a little for the smoke. The Bay is usually glittering with the lights of the city; it seems so much darker now.

Chen finished copying Mako's notes and returns his notebook to him. "Alright, well, I'll call it in, get someone down here to check out that boat. I'll get someone to track down that car too." With one last pull, Chen finishes her cigarette, dumping the butt of her cigarette into the top cup of her stack. "Now, where are you staying at, really?"

Mako drops his own butt into the cup after Chens, "Why?"

"I'm not making you walk home; it's freezing out, even for a firebender." She has already taken the car out of park and is pulling out from the docks. 

Chen radios the station during the drive, putting out an APB on the roadster and sending a car to meet her at the docks. They don't run into anyone else on the drive.

Parked outside of Mako and Bolin's apartment complex, Chen pauses before unlocking the doors, "...do you think you should stop in at the hospital, get checked out?"

"I was knocked over. I'm fine" Mako was getting annoyed. it was just a hit to the gut. He could take it

"Yeah, I know, but maybe it aggravated," Chen had to force her gaze away from where Mako's sling was hidden under his coat. "…something."

Mako grits his teeth. "I'll be fine."

With a sigh, Chen unlocks the doors. "Goodnight, Mako."

"Goodnight." Mako stops halfway out of his seat, his breath creating thick clouds in the cold night air.

"Thank you... for the ride," Mako wanted to thank her for not telling Lin, for lying for him; he hoped that would be understood.

"Of course." Chen smiles softly. "Get some rest."

Li from the third floor is sitting on the stoop having a cigarette. He doesn't move out of the way, so Mako has to step over him to reach the door.

The walls of their apartment complex were thin, so Mako could hear Bolin scramble from the window where he had presumably been spying on him to the door.

"Why are you getting dropped off by a police car?" Bolin interrogates, hands on his hips in perfect imitation of his brother.

"Because that's where I work." Mako deadpanned, shrugging out of his coat.

"Not since 6. Your shift finished hours ago!" Bolin exclaimed, his hands gesturing to punctuate every word.

"I told you I was going to be back late." Mako sighed, hanging his coat on the nail by the door.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you meant so you could work!"

"What else would I be doing." Mako toed off his shoes, pushing them neatly to the edge of the mat with his foot.

"I thought Wu was staying in the city?"

Mako stopped with the cupboard only halfway opened. "Yeah, he is, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Bolin furrowed his brow, appraising his brother. "Oh….uh nothing. If you're saying, it's nothing I mean, then yeah....nothing."

"Right," Mako closed the cupboard, he'd have to go shopping tomorrow. "Are we done? I want to take a shower."

"No, I mean, I've been talking with Opal, and she thinks we should talk more."

"We live together. We talk all the time." Mako set his hand on his hip, trying to temper his irritation.

"I know, but like talk about …things." Bolin scratched the back of his neck, looking anywhere but his brother.

"Well, I need to take a shower. We can talk after." Mako retreated into the bathroom before Bolin could respond. He knew he shouldn't be dodging his brother so much, but Bolin didn't need to worry.

Mako unwound his bandage slowly, each twist adding weight to his sore arm. His wrist felt like he was holding a fist, even though his hand was slack. He just needed to relax the muscle, and it would be fine.

He took his time in the shower, hoping to outlast Bolin. He doubted he was up for whatever Opal thought he and Bolin needed to talk about. They understood each other fine; there was no need to say anything.

The rock from Sandman had left a nasty bruise, but nothing felt broken underneath. There wasn't anything to do for it but wait. His wrist is still tight after the shower, the hot water and steam doing nothing to relax the tense muscles. He can feel his arm trembling as he gingerly dries it with a towel. The trembling hasn't stopped when he finishes applying the salve either.

Rewrapping the bandage is also slow going. Mako rests his hand on the lip of the sink in an attempt to keep himself steady, his shaking making keeping the dressing tight near impossible.

When he's halfway down his arm, he drops the bandage, the roll unwinding during its fall. With a sigh, Mako goes to pick the roll up while keeping his arm on the sink. It's out of reach. Pulling the bandage by the trailing end of Mako's wrapping just causes it to unwind more.

He could call Bolin.

Mako finishes the bandage sloppily. Kya will redo it tomorrow anyway. He takes the unspooled bandage from the floor with him into his room, shoving the bundle into his nightstand drawer. He'll re-wind it tomorrow.

***

Bolin was still sleeping when Mako woke the next morning; it was before sunrise. Not wanting to run the risk of seeing Bolin Mako went without breakfast or coffee, he could find something along the way.

Mako pulled his collar up against the cold wind blowing off the Bay. His bandage looked worse in the light of day. He couldn't find a paper, but hopefully, someone at the station had managed to grab one. He wanted to see if the pickup from the docks had made the morning rag. He was able to find coffee, a wooden pull cart parked out by the station with two large pots of coffee and a stack of tin cans. He was selling the tins for 1 yuen each, he was also selling single smokes.

"Rumour is the cannery is gonna be opening back up." The peddler said as he poured Mako's coffee, using one tin to scoop coffee into another. "Now would you know anything 'bout that?"

Mako didn't know. Every day, another factory was supposedly reopening, and every day, everything remained closed and boarded up.

He finds a paper, taking Song's discarded issue with him into his office. There isn't anything about the docks. Maybe The United Daily News didn't know, or perhaps they didn't have the space between all of President Raiko's press announcements. The paper ends up in the wastebasket.

Mako pulls Chen's report from the previous night. Lefty's roadster hadn't been called in yet. The hold of the ship had been searched as well; they hadn't found any illegal cargo. The Triple Threats must have emptied everything with that first load, but they did find some documents. It was a mix of legal and unofficial records. The legal documents sourced the Poppy from a larger shipment purchased by Keum Enterprises pharmaceutical subsidiary. The theft hadn't been reported, so either Keum Enterprises didn't know about it or covered it up to avoid an inquiry into their shipment practices.

The unofficial documents outline a deal between pirates of the Fifth Nation who'd stolen the loot and the Triple Threats who had purchased it. And on those unofficial documents was Yun "Sandman" name's signature.

The papers were perfect evidence. Well, near-perfect evidence. Someone had spilled something on a few of them, making part of the forms illegible. One of the spills was beside Sandman's signature. Mako compared the other papers. It wasn't a spill; someone had blotted something out. Someone had blotted out a name.

***

Mako found himself looking over Chen's report again. Hoping to find any clues as to who's name those spills could be covering up, there wasn't any.

He flips the file over to again start from the beginning when Makois interrupted by the unmistakable roar of a Sky Bison. Juicy, Bolin, and Opal have landed on the vacant street. The latter two appear to be in the midst of a rather animated discussion.

The hinges screech as Mako forces his window open to call down to them. "What are you guys doing here? Did something happen?"

The two startle, craning their heads to spot Mako's open window. "We came to give you a lift to Air Temple Island!" Bolin shouts, his hands cupped around his mouth to amplify his voice. "

Mako rolled his eyes, about to shout back his own retort when Opal's own shout interrupts. "Can we have this conversation at ground level, please?" 

Screaming at your brother out a two-story window is one thing, but Mako isn't about to yell at Opal. He puts Chen's report back in order before slipping on his coat and draining now cold coffee. Mako does a final sweep of the office at the door. Thinking better of it, he puts Chen's file into his top drawer.

"Yuck," Opal makes a face as she pulls the tin away from her face. "The coffee always tastes like whatever was in the can before."

"Surprises are fun, though!" Bolin reasons, "plus, if you're lucky, you sometimes get an old condensed milk can."

"Well, I like my coffee, coffee flavoured." Opal laughs, holding the offending tin for Bolin to try.

Accepting the tin, Bolin is already frowning, "It's stone-cold!" Seeing Mako exiting the temporary station, Bolin is already holding the offending coffee out towards his brother. "Hey, heat this up!"

"Bolin!" Opal scolds, "he isn't your personal heater!"

"What? it'll taste better if it's hot." Bolin whines. Mako is already heating up.

"I don't mind Opal," Mako assures her as he returns the tin to Bolin.

Opal waves Mako off, instead responding to Bolin, who is enjoying his freshly warmed coffee. "Oh, and what if I asked you to bend the dirt off of my shoes?"

"I would do it gladly," Bolin answers easily, offering a hand to help her mount Juicy. She doesn't need it, though, using her airbending to jump up behind the reins.

"Well, it would still be rude." Opal finishes, taking Juicy's reins, "and how are you doing, Mako?"

"I'm doing alright," Mako answers, making to let himself up. Scaling a Bison is much more comfortable with two hands.

"Ahem." Opal gives Bolin a look, jerking her head towards Mako.

"Oh hey, let me help you, bro!"

"Must be keeping pretty busy working on a Saturday." Opal continues once Mako and Bolin are settled. "Juicy, yip yip!"

"Yeah, well, you know the saying, crime never sleeps." Looking westward from street level, all you can see is the cranes towering in the sky for the rebuilding. However, from Juicy's saddle, you can see the craters left behind from the buildings that had stood before, the scars left by the colossus. Nothing breeds criminals like desperation.

Air Temple Island felt as vacant as the city. All of the airbenders were scattered to the wind, spread thin, tracking down the last of Kuvira's forces, managing the refugee camps, and helping to clear the rubble in the city. They had been using the island as a makeshift hospital for a while, but the medical services had since been moved out to a tent by the refugee camps outside of the city limits. That's where Kya would usually be.

Mako finds Kya in the kitchen, filling a jug with water. "You're early. I thought I had until the ferry got here."

"Me too. Bolin ended up picking me up."

"Well, wasn't that brotherly of him.” Kya said sardonically, turning off the tap. “Wish I could say my brothers were as thoughtful. Tenzin left me to find my own way back here."

Kya pointed for Mako to take a seat in the dining room, following him with her large jug of water. She had already laid out her salves, scissors, bandages and incense on the table.

“So, what are you doing back on Air Temple Island then?” Mako asked, taking the cushion in front of Kya’s set up.

"Oh, I'm only here for the weekend. Everybody needs a break, right?" Kya answers, feeling around her pockets "-aha!" She proclaims, pulling out a book of matches and lighting the incense.

"Alright, let's see it." Kya takes up her scissors as Mako removes his sling and offers Kya his injured arm. She pauses when she takes in Mako's poorly wrapped bandage. Forging the scissors, Kya tugs at the end, the whole thing unraveling handily.

"I hope you're not wrapping it like this every day?"

Mako flushes in embarrassment. "Oh no, I just knew I was seeing you this morning, so I wasn't too worried about it."

"You make Bolin help you from now on. It's what brothers are for." Kya answers smartly, rolling the bandage into a ball before discarding it on the table.

The stance isn't wide as Kya begins bending the water out of the basin and around her hands. After a moment, the water begins to faintly glow as it flows around her hands. Slowly, Kya lowers her hands to Mako's waiting arm, and with a flick of her wrists, the water wraps itself around his burn, encasing it in its blue glow.

The water is cool against his skin.

Kya hums to herself as she directs the flow of the water. The larger shape remains stable, but below the water's surface, she leads a current around his arm. After a couple of minutes, the current pauses.

"The skin is healing nicely, so you must not be bandaging it too badly, and the bones healing alright too. Everything's still in place." The water resumes its flow, ebbing around his wrist. "The nerves still has ways to go."

"And once the nerve heals, I'll get my bending back in that hand."

Kya bites her lip, keeping her gaze on her bending. "Even when it heals, there will be scarring.

"Okay, but if I can move it, then I can bend."

"The physical movement guides your chi along, but…well, even if you execute the movement, the chi might not be able to flow. It can get all…. knotted up in the scarring." Kya returns the water to the basin. Mako's wrist doesn't feel any different.

"…we just can't know."

***

Mako took the ferry back into the city. He didn't want to deal with the questions Bolin was sure to ask.

The Bay was very still, the ferry the only vessel cutting across its mirrored surface. He was the only passenger.

Once Mako had returned to the office, he dove into his paperwork. Writing furiously with his good hand and gripping the stress ball Kya had given him to rebuild strength in his band hand.

He carried on like that for hours.

Grip, release, grip, release. 

Not thinking, just doing.

Mako doesn't look up until there is a knock at the door. It's already dark out.

"Knock, knock!" Wu sings. He doesn't wait to be invited in, closing the door as he steps over the threshold. "It's not like you to slack off, big guy!"

"What?" Mako confusedly follows Wu's gaze to the stress ball. "Oh, no, uh, this is for my hand, or um wrist," Mako explains sheepishly, placing it onto his desk.

Wu walks further into the office, leaning one hand on Mako's desk and picking up the stress ball with the other. "How many can you do? I bet you can do like, 100." Mako gives an exasperated look. "You're right, that's low; a thousand is probably more like it."

Mako takes the stress ball from Wu's hand and places it back onto the desk, "why did you come here Wu? Did something happen?"

"Does something have to be wrong for me to want to see you? You haven't come to see me. You haven't called either." Wu pouted. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you were avoiding me." He finished with a laugh – Mako thought it sounded a little nervous.

"I'm not avoiding you," Mako sighed. "I've just…been busy…" He finished lamely

"I suppose being a hero is busy work." Wu sighed dramatically, "too busy to even make one single phone call."

"Did you have anything you actually wanted to say on that call?" Mako asks jokingly.

"All the time you spend in this office and no one would know it, you should really put some decorations up in here." Wu carried on, fiddling with Mako's pen holder, the only item on his desk.

"I only got this office yesterday."

"Right, right, right, you're much too busy to hang up a picture or prop cards up on the windowsill – you did receive so many of them."

"Exactly, who has the time for that." Mako agreed. "Besides, it's conceited."

"Putting up cards is not conceited," Wu argued, leaning against the windowsill "it shows that people care about you."

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Song calls, opening the door only enough to stick his head in. "You got a call. Didn't leave a name. She said you'd know who it is." He finishes with a smirk.

Wu looks at Mako, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, I have to take this its –

"For work," Wu said, voice clipped.

"Yeah." Mako scratches the top of his bandage uncomfortably. "I'm sorry… I should have called you."

Wu softens a little. "You'll just have to call me when you're done here, to make it up to me." And with that, Wu turns on his heel and leaves Mako behind in his temporary office.

Mako remains seated a moment after Wu has left before heading for the phone.

"Is this a private line?" Kitty's voice crackled over the line. 

"No, the station uses a party line." The actual police station had used private lines, but when they had needed to get the phones back up and running, it was easier to set up one line. This was supposed to be temporary, so they hadn't seen the point in switching to multiple private lines- that had been nearly four months ago now.

"Well, then we're going to need to find someplace else to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long delay, I know it sucks waiting for updates. Full transparency, I do intend to finish this fic (I will finish it), however, I am in school so it will be slow going. Sorry. 
> 
> Also, I haven’t even started The Shadow of Kyoshi so if The Fifth Nation is canonically de facto sorry.


End file.
